


get up

by lymricks



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy fights monsters too!, M/M, and everyone needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 02:46:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13672650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lymricks/pseuds/lymricks
Summary: It’s a rock that does it, finally. Billy’s toe catches on a rock as they’re running, and they’ve been running for what feels likehoursand he isn’t tired at all, feels like he could run all night, might have to, but his toe catches on a rock and Billy goes down on all fours with a howl and he just–he just can’t get back up.





	get up

It’s a rock that fucking does it, finally. Billy’s toe catches on a rock as they’re running, and they’ve been running for what feels like _hours_ and he isn’t tired at all, feels like he could run all night, might have to, but his toe catches on a rock and Billy goes down on all fours with a howl and he just--he just can’t get back up.

It’s been a long fucking night. A blur, mostly, of swinging his fucking crowbar through the air, through the skulls of fucked up monsters, and he could have kept going, he swears he could’ve, but the fucking _rock_.

“Billy!” Steve’s voice is sharp, but the tone is low. They don’t want to get found. He’s got a bandana tied around his upper arm. He’d been bleeding. Billy had stopped the bleeding because it had seemed like a lot of bleeding for one arm. “Get _up_ ,” Steve hisses at him, stumbling back to his side. “We have to fucking go!”

The kids are all staring at them and Billy can’t look at Max. He can’t fucking do it. “I can’t,” Billy says. “You need to keep moving.”

“What? Yeah, ok. That’s a no,” Steve says. “Come on, man. We don’t have time for this.”

Billy knows exactly what did it, and if he’s honest, it wasn’t the fucking rock. It was the thing that went for Steve, the one who took the bite out of his shoulder. Billy had been on the other side of a fence when it happened, when Steve had cried out and the kids had screamed. Billy had been on the other side of a fence, but he’d turned around and one of those _things_ had latched itself onto Steve’s arm and Steve was on the ground, and Billy hadn’t hesitated, hadn’t had a second thought, had vaulted the fence, screaming, swearing, had torn it off of Steve.

Had killed it. Super fucking dead. It’s just that it had taken a bite out of him, too. And now Billy’s tripped over a rock and he can’t get back up and the kids and Steve need to keep moving. 

“You,” Billy says, voice low, “Need to keep fucking moving.”

It would have killed Steve. It would have eaten him. Billy had fucked up Steve’s face not too long ago, but he doesn’t want Steve to get eaten. Actually, he the opposite of wants that, but only Steve knows and anyway it isn’t an option. The kids are safe, at least. It would have eaten them, too, once it had finished Steve off. Billy had had a choice, sure, and he’d made it. And then he’d tripped over a fucking rock. And now he can’t get up.

“We’re not leaving without you,” Steve says. “What’s wrong? Get the fuck up, Billy!” and he sounds pissed, but Billy can hear the low thread of panic in his voice. “Get the fuck up.”

“Harrington,” Billy says, and his voice is loud. “You’re not fucking hearing me. You. Need. To. Keep. Moving.”

_You need to leave me here_ , he means.

He doesn’t want to look at Steve when he says it, but the other option is Max, and Billy can’t look at her either. “What’s going on?” she says. “We need to run! They’re coming!”

Steve is still crouched down next to where Billy is doubled over on the ground. “Billy,” Steve says. “Get up.”

Billy shakes his head. “I can’t,” he says softly. “Steve. I _can’t_.”

“No,” Steve says. “Sorry. That’s not a fucking option.” He hooks his fingers under Billy’s arms and _lifts_ , but he hisses in pain from the bite out of his arm and they don’t get far. They land with Steve sitting on his heels, Billy leaning into him, both of them breathing hard. Steve tries to shift his grip, to get his arm around Billy’s waist. Billy can’t help the sharp, pained sound that he makes. He’s looking at Steve’s face when he finally sees the blood. “Billy,” Steve says. “Holy shit. Why didn’t you--”

“You need to keep moving,” Billy says again. “Fuck. Steve, you need to keep _moving_.”

Steve’s shaking his head. It’s making Billy a little dizzy to look at it. There are black spots dancing behind his vision. “Run,” Billy says.

Steve falls back on his ass and tugs Billy into his lap. Billy’s head lulls a little against Steve’s shoulder. This is the opposite of what he wanted, but in the cold night air, in the crunch of frost, Steve’s chest is an impossibly warm pillow. Billy feels his eyes start to close.

“Billy?” Max says.

Steve cuts her off. “You need to run. Get to Hopper’s. Don’t stop until the door is boarded up behind you.”

“What about you?” Dustin asks. Billy thinks his voice sounds small. Steve smells good, Billy thinks. He wants to lick him. He’s so tired. 

“We’re going to be fine,” Steve says. “Run. Seriously, right fucking now, shitheads.”

Billy hears them leave. It’s so dark. “It’s dark,” he says.

“Your eyes are closed, asshole. Open them.”

In the distance, Billy can hear the sound of monsters coming. “You need to run,” he says. He doesn’t open his eyes. Steve is going to get eaten if he stays. Steve is so fucking warm. 

“It’s all right,” Steve says. “Open your eyes for me, Billy. Come on.”

That’s just another addition to the list of things Steve’s asking of him that Billy can’t do. _Get up, be my boyfriend, open your eyes_. Billy can’t do any of those things. Billy shakes his head, feels Steve’s hand framing his face. Feels Steve’s lips against his own, gentle. Billy loves him so fucking much, but he can’t open his eyes or get up or be his boyfriend and he’s _sorry_ , but at least Steve didn’t get eaten. At least the kids got away.

He’s _sorry_.

He kisses Steve back until it’s too much to hold his head up, until it’s easier to just rest against him. The monsters are coming. Steve needs to fucking run. “Billy,” Steve says. “Baby, you need to wake up.” 

Billy wants to, but he can’t. It’s the stupid fucking rock. It’s the bite out of his side. He can feel his own blood down his ribs and stomach, sticky and warm. He wants to tell Steve that he isn’t sleeping, just resting his eyes, but he can’t do that either. “Please,” Steve whispers. Billy can feel his breath against his temple. “I can’t fucking do this without you.”

Billy is so fucking sorry. “Run,” he says, because they’re coming. He can hear them getting so much closer. Talking feels like a lot of work. He wants to say he’s sorry, he wants to say _I love you_ , but as important as those are, they don’t matter as much as: “ _Run_!”

He doesn’t know if Steve runs because of the stupid fucking rock. Billy is so tired. He adds stay awake to the list of things Steve wants that he can’t do. Billy lets the darkness swallow him whole.

~

“Steve!” Max’s voice is so fucking loud. Billy’s going to murder her. He has the worst hangover of his _life_ and he’s going to _murder her_. “Steve! He’s awake!”

When Billy’s vision clears enough for him to see, he’s met with Max’s angry, tight expression. “Asshole!” she yells at him, which is not helping his fucking headache. “You stupid fucking asshole! You’re not supposed to--you can’t just--you were _hurt_!” 

She smacks his shoulder and Billy winces. It’s around then that he remembers it isn’t a hangover. “Fuck,” he says. 

There’s the sound of a door opening, footsteps. Max smacks his shoulder one more time before she turns on her heel, her hair fanning out behind her. He hears her leave. “Billy?”

Relief floods Billy because Steve’s not dead, because _he’s_ not dead, because neither of them got eaten. He tries to sit up, but it hurts too much. Steve’s there, then, a warm hand on his shoulder, big brown eyes all Billy can see.

“You dumb asshole,” Steve says.

“A lot of people are calling me an asshole,” Billy says, surprised by how hoarse his voice sounds, “For saving them.”

“God, fuck you, seriously. You should have said something,” Steve says. He looks so _sad_. 

“I can open my eyes now,” Billy says.

“Obviously.”

“I can get up. Well, not now, but probably soon.”

“That’s what Joyce said.”

“I can even stay awake.”

“Yeah,” Steve says. “Are you losing your mind? What the fuck is happening right now?”

That, Billy thinks, is everything on the list except one last item. “I can be your boyfriend,” he says. “I love you,” he adds. 

Steve gapes at him. “You fucking _asshole_ ,” he says, but it loses some of its sting when he kisses Billy again. Billy thinks Steve might be crying, his voice sounds a little choked up. “I love you too. I’m going to fucking kill you if you do that again. You _asshole_.” And he’s definitely crying, but he’s also smiling against Billy’s mouth.

Billy hates that stupid fucking rock just a little bit less.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't do sad endings? So like, you know should all know that about me. This was for a tumblr prompt thing & I'm @lymricks on there!


End file.
